Detailed Guide to Visiting Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is famous for many impressive historical landmarks, so Samarkand and Bukhara are some of the first cities you’d normally visit. But if you want to explore more of this country and get a better grasp of history, there are plenty of other interesting areas which Uzbekistan has to offer. The gorgeous Fergana Valley, which is surrounded by the Alay and Tian Shan mountains, is an exciting choice, and my daughter and I decided to visit it this summer. Needless to say, we were not disappointed. We loved the trip and would highly recommend it to all categories of travelers- families with kids, couples and people traveling solo.

Feel free to check out a short video about our trip below.

Why travel to Fergana Valley?

I heard about the Fergana Valley on many occasions as being authentic Uzbekistan, a place which is not very touristy (at least for the time being), yet has a lot of interesting attractions. By traveling to the Fergana Valley, you get a chance to see the more traditional way of Uzbek living and take a peak into their lifestyle. You’ll see streets without dreadful traffic jams and armies of tourists. You’ll enjoy leisurely strolls around the uncrowded streets. You won’t notice many international restaurants, but instead simple, traditional places which serve authentic Uzbek cuisine. I must say we spotted Dodo pizza in a few places, but it’s totally okay (we love Dodo pizza and it’s nice to know it’s in Fergana as well).

If you are a history lover, there is plenty of history to learn here. The Silk Road went right through the Fergana Valley. You’ll see some interesting landmarks and learn about their history. Obviously, don’t expect anything of the scale of big names like Samarkand or Bukhara, and many structures unfortunately did not survive till now, but there are still plenty of interesting monuments to visit.

Fergana Valley is also famous for its fruits and vegetables. Its soil is very fertile and there is plenty of water, thanks to the presence of the majestic Syr Darya River and its tributaries. In Fergana Valley, you’ll find delicious grapes, melons, watermelons, plums, persimmons and many other things. We were also surprised to see pomegranates growing in many places we visited. It’s not a common sight by any stretch of imagination, so we were quite curious to see how these fruit grow on small trees. These pomegranate trees were all over the place, including at our hotel and some attractions we visited.

Craftsmanship in Fergana Valley

As we quickly found out, Fergana Valley a center of craftsmanship in Uzbekistan, and many famous craftsmen live and work there. They make amazing pottery, knives, woodwork, silk, jewelry and other items. 

You can visit their workshops, see how they make different things and buy whatever catches your eye. Since this is all handmade, unique and of top quality, don’t expect to get a bargain. You must be ready for steep prices. Keep in mind that some of these craftsmen are famous globally and have participated in many international exhibitions. Buying something from their shops is definitely worth it, even if it’s something small. 

For many families, craftsmanship is the way to go for their children. Such kids start studying a particular craft when they turn 11 or 12. Instead of focusing on school subjects, attending various tutors and trying to get into a good university, they try to learn as much as possible about a particular craft from a famous “master”. As we heard, one of the famous craftsmen has 50 students. They are all studying very hard in order to master the craft and become the best in their field. 

How to get to Fergana Valley?

Train is an easy and reliable way of transportation, so I highly recommend it. We took a 8:10 am speedy train from Tashkent and arrived at our destination (which was Margellan) at 1:20 pm. It’s not a long trip and you get a chance to see the pretty countryside. You will be crossing a lot of mountains, so be ready for some nice views and occasionally going through tunnels (one of them was quite long). Going back, we took a 4:53 pm train from Kokand and arrived in Tashkent at 9:20 pm.

Please keep in mind that Fergana Valley stretches not only through Uzbekistan, but some of its parts are also located in the neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The whole valley covers 22,000 sq.km, which is no small territory. During our trip, we only covered the Uzbekistan’s part of the valley as otherwise it would be too much hassle with border crossings, visas etc. 

Since the train goes through the mountains, there are frequent issues during the cold times of the year. Fog and rainy or snowy conditions could lead to closure of this route. Keep that in mind when planning your trip. Late spring, summer and early fall are best times to go as this is when there is less chance of bad weather. You can of course take the plane to avoid these issues, but it’s less scenic. 

Places to visit in the Fergana Valley

There are quite a few towns and villages in the valley, but since you will be coming for a limited time, it’s good to prioritize. Some of the best places to visit include Fergana, Margellan, Rishtan and Kokand. My suggestion is to spend 2-3 days touring around this region. You’ll need to choose which city to stay in (scroll below to see where we stayed). Later you can visit neighboring places which are all not far away.

Just so that you know from that start, Margellan is most famous for its silk, Rishtan – for its ceramics, Fergana is an intellectual center, and Kokand has an impressive khan’s palace. All these places are not far from one another, but you do need time to see main attractions. So, it’s better to decide ahead of time what you are interested in and focus on those places. You can move around in a taxi or on various types of buses.

Also, you might want to think what type of arts and crafts you want to buy. Many items are quite expensive since they are handmade, so you need to have a plan in order not to waste too much money and also not to carry too much luggage.

Margellan

In Margellan, make sure to visit a renowned complex Pir-Siddiq which was constructed in the 18th century. Allegedly, a saint named Pir Siddiq was buried there. In this complex you can take photos with pigeons who had lived in this place for 2000 years. It’s a fun activity for both adults and kids.

You can also spend some time at a silk factory (there are multiple ones) and see for yourself how silk is made. It’s definitely not an easy process. Margellan is famous for its silks, so if you are interested in that, buying some souvenir is a must. I bought a lovely silk scarf for my daughter; it has some amazingly bright colors. Speaking about colors: Uzbeks like clothes with bright colors because supposedly they protect them from evil eye.

Fergana 

Fergana is the city where intellectuals live in the Fergana Valley. There are good schools, colleges and universities. People who live in the city are usually well educated and well read. There are nice parks and lovely restaurants. Plenty of good hotels with nice gardens and pools. 

We visited a horse stable with a very interesting breed of horses- Fergana horses which are sometimes referred to as “heavenly horses”. They are known for their endurance and were even praised by a Chinese emperor many years ago. Today, everyone can take a ride on these horses. Prices are very low- one lap costs just 10,000 soums (less than a dollar). This is a much better price than in Tashkent where a smaller lap will cost you 50,000 soums. If you don’t want to ride, you can just pay and feed horses.

Rishtan

Rishtan is located in about 50 km from Fergana. It’s just a small village with about 20,000 inhabitants, but it’s fame is far-reaching. This village is most famous for its amazing pottery covered with a unique ishkor glaze. Pottery is made of the unique red clay which is only mined in this area. A big challenge is that the purest clay is now becoming scarce. Overall, Rishtan residents have been making pottery for around 800 years. Currently there are about 1,000 artists living there. Not all of them are world famous, but some of them are, with works exhibited in Japan and even Hermitage.

Our trip to Rishtan was quite exciting. First, we visited an interesting architectural complex Khodja Ilgor constructed back in 1905. This used to be a place where any dervish could find shelter and spend the night. This complex is right next to the border with Kyrgyzstan- the checkpoint is right up the street. 

Alisher Nazirov’s ceramics

Then we visited the workshop of a world famous ceramicist Alisher Nazirov and learned about his amazing works and his approach to life. It was a pleasure spending a few hours at his peaceful workshop admiring the gorgeous pottery on display there and listening to his stories. We even watched a master class of making ceramics by one of Alisher’s students. He was doing it with his eyes closed! Can you believe in it? I have no idea how he did it, but apparently, this is what Alisher teaches all his students. They need to be able to make their artwork with eyes closed.

If you are ever in Rishtan, make sure to visit Alisher’s workshop. Apparently, its doors are always open for visitors. He told us a funny story about one European lady who once visited his workshop. She was not impressed by the student doing pottery with eyes closed. In her view, it was too easy. Then Alisher advised her to go home and try to do something with eyes closed. Soon enough, she emailed him and apologized. Apparently, she was not able to do anything with her eyes closed and ran into a wall or something like that.

Alisher reminded me a bit of my teacher who used to teach me painting many years ago. He did not have such a large workshop, but he had an apartment full of his amazing works. And his perception of life was similar. Very kind, never in a rush, always looking to perfect his work, and enjoying his craft tremendously.

Kokand

Among all the cities we visited in the Fergana Valley Kokand was my favorite, due to its rich history. I tried to catch the glimpse of its past glory and imagine what life might have been there many years ago, with busy streets, numerous artisan workshops and gorgeous mosques and madrasas.

In Kokand, we visited a number of historic buildings, including the spectacular palace of Khudayar Khan who was the last ruler of the powerful Khanate of Kokand.

Kokand Khanate was in existence from 1709 until 1876. It covered a large territory which now is divided between Uzbekistan, southern Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Some of the cities which at that time were part of Kokand Khanate included Tashkent, Osh and Andijan. This was one of the largest kingdoms in the region at that time, alongside the Bukhara emirate and Khorezm. During its best times, Kokand was an impressive city: 80,000 people lived there and it contained some 600 mosques and 15 madrasas. Unfortunately, none of these kingdoms lasted forever, and Russia eventually conquered them. Had they been more united, there could have been a different ending. But each ruler looked down on other ones, so unity was not in the cards. 

Khudayar Khan Palace

Khudayar Khan’s palace was built in 1870s and was one of the most magnificent palaces in Central Asia. It was 138 m long and had 7 courtyards and over 100 rooms (some sources say 119, others 116, so I guess it’s not known for sure). Sixteen thousand workers worked on the construction of this magnificent palace.

Unfortunately, the khan was not able to enjoy his palace for long. When the Russian tsarist troupes seized the khanate, Khudayar Khan was forced into an exile and his palace was looted. The khan, who had ruled for 30 years with interruptions, was now forced to go to Orenburg (Russia). He later fled to Afghanistan and eventually died there in complete poverty. 

Not surprisingly, once the Bolsheviks came to power, they quickly destroyed the majority of the khan’s palace. Only 19 rooms survived. Luckily, restoration efforts were successful and we can see some glimpses of its remaining glory. In particular, you can see the throne room (be mindful that this is a replica throne and the original one is in Hermitage).

The general consensus is that Khudayar Khan’s palace is the best attraction to visit in Fergana Valley, so make sure to add it to your itinerary. 

While in Kokand, we also checked out a sweets shop which sells delicious khalva and bought a few boxes to take home. There are many different flavors to choose from and they let you try all of them. Yum!

Grand Fergana Hotel

When visiting the Fergana Valley, we stayed in Fergana and were quite happy with our choice. There are several nice, recently built hotels in the city, so you have a few options. Prices are quite affordable. 

The hotel we stayed at was called Grand Fergana. Overall, a rather pleasant experience, although there was an issue with check-in. We arrived after several large groups and needed to wait for an hour until our room was ready (even though it was 6 pm!) 

What we particularly enjoyed about the hotel was a nice garden around it and a large pool, as well as a small kids pool. You can eat by the pool and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. Dishes are quite delicious and we enjoyed everything we ordered. For kids, there is a lot of entertainment because the hotel has bunnies and peacocks walking in the garden. 

The hotel offers a good buffet breakfast by Uzbekistan’s standards. Not a very extensive list of items, but everything seemed of good quality – eggs, sausages, some fruits, pastries, coffee and tea. I suggest arriving early as there are a lot of visitors and the hotel might run out of some things.

A few tips to keep in mind

• Given that Fergana Valley is less touristy, please be ready that the quality of service will be lower than in places like Tashkent or Bukhara. You have to be patient with hotel staff and expect that some issues will happen- a remote for the AC might be missing, or soap, or check-in will be a mess. It might be frustrating, but it’s not a huge deal. Your overall experience will be great, so you will forget about small things. 
• Bathrooms will likely be messy, no matter where you go. They might also not lock sometimes. This is common issue in Uzbekistan, so just be prepared and have low expectations. Bring a hand sanitizer and some spare toilet paper just in case. Avoid going to the bathroom at the train station if you can (my personal advice).
• Food in Fergana Valley is very good. We tried several places and were very happy with the food. Make sure to try plov, various kebabs and chicken noodle soup, we found them delicious. Also, don’t forget desserts, especially local khalva. 
• Food on the train is questionable. We generally don’t buy anything there after a bad experience on one of the train rides earlier. I’m not sure they wash the fruits they sell, and also how old the hamburgers are. If you want to be adventurous, give it a shot, otherwise, bring something with you from the local market or supermarket (Kokand has Macro and Korzinka, both good supermarket brands).
• Make sure you always drink bottled water. In case you are not very familiar with Uzbekistan, you cannot drink tap water here. Ask for bottled water anywhere you go.
• When traveling around Fergana Valley, it’s better to dress modestly. Long skirts or pants would be preferred for women, especially when visiting historic places. Head coverings were not required in any places where we went, but they were recommended. For men, I would suggest going with pants, not shorts. No restrictions for kids.

The final word

Uzbekistan is developing its economy and growing fast, so at some point, tourism will become widespread in all the parts of the country. It will likely reach the Fergana Valley at a much larger scale and bring some changes along with it. But for now, this is still one of those areas where you can see authentic Uzbekistan. If you’re looking for an interesting trip to take, Fergana Valley would be a great choice. You will definitely come with refreshed, with lots of new knowledge and impressions, as well as great gifts for yourself and your friends and family.